Knitted lining for rubber footwear



1936. R. M. HOLDEN ET AL ,028,746

KNITTED LINING FOR RUBBER FOOTWEAR Original Filed April 11, 1950 g f 17% er jfffo'iderz Patented Jan. 28, 1936 KNITTED LINING FOR RUBBER FOOTWEAR Roger M. Holden and John F.

Mass.,

Roberts, Worcester,

assignors to Holden Knitting (30.,

Wgrcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachuse ts Original application April 11, 1930, Serial No. 443,358. Divided and this application February 17, 1933, Serial No. 657,286

2 Claims.

The present application is a division of our original application Serial No. 443,358, filed April 11, 1930 for a Knitted lining for rubber foot wear and method of making same, the lining being 5 particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of rubber articles of foot wear that are formed, or built up, upon suitable lasts or trees having the shapes of the completed articles.

The object of the invention covered by the present application, in common with the object of the invention covered by our aforesaid original application, is to provide an improved lining of the above indicated character that is knitted in such a manner as to closely fit the last or tree 5 upon which it is drawn, preparatory to the formation of the rubber article thereon by any suitable process. The lining produced by a practice of the method of the present application is particularly adapted for the manufacture of rubber foot wear on a rigid last, as distinguished from a last having walls of a yieldable material. Furthermore, the method of knitting is particularly adapted to be practiced on an ordinary knitting machine with a single stitch such as would be produced by a single set of needles, as distinguished from the knitting of linings on a cylinder and dial machine. The above and other advantageous features of our invention will hereinafter more fully appear with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a length of tubular knitted material from which the lining is to be made.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a completed lining produced in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a last or tree, on which the lining of Fig. 2 is to be drawn.

Fig. 4 shows the lining drawn on the last of Fig. 3.

4.0 Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

In carrying out our invention, a length of material generally tubular in form, as shown in Fig. 1, is produced by an ordinary knitting machine with a single stitch from a single set of needles.

In knitting this form of lining, a portion l, hereinafter referred. to as the toe portion, is knitted with a relatively short stitch using yarn having a relatively small number of threads, after which a portion 2 extending from the line dJ-bto the line 0-11 is knitted with stitches in successive continuous courses of different lengths, the stitches 2a. being shorter than the stitches 2b, and the stitches 2b being knitted with larger yarn having more threads, as compared to the yarn used for knitting the portions l and 2a. After this, a third portion 3 extending beyond the line 0-01 is knitted with stitches longer than the stitches of the other portions, and with yarn having still more threads than the yarn used in either of the portions I and 2. As a result of the above described manner of knitting with dissimilar lengths of stitching, with different sizes of yarn, the intermediate portion 2 of the tube assumes an arcuate form with one side longer than the other, and obviously the lengths of stitches and sizes of yarn may be varied, as desired. The final step in producing a lining from the tubular fabric shown in Fig. 1 resides in bringing the edges of the portion I together and then cutting and sewing the edges to provide a curved seam 4 which extends transversely to the axis of the tubular portion l the completed lining then appearing as shown in Fig. 2.

By comparing the completed lining of Fig. 2 with the boot last of Fig. 3, it is apparent that the lining closely approximates the actual form and proportions of the last, so that when the lining is drawn on the last, as shown in Fig. 4, it will fit closely and present a smooth appearance. It will also be noted in Fig. 4 that the curved seam 4 is disposed along the bottom of the last just within and substantially parallel to the curved edge of the sole of the last. In drawing the lining on the last, which is usually inverted for this purpose, no particular skill is required on the part of the operator, since the curved portion of the lining naturally points to' ward the toe of the last.

After the lining has been drawn on the last as shown in Fig. 4, the difierent parts of uncured rubber of which the boot is composed, are built upon the lining covered last in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. These rubber boot parts include a sole, which is placed flat on the covered last in engagement with the toe seam 4, and is held in position by suitable leg and vamp pieces. subjecting the rubber parts to a vulcanizing process, which results in the lining becoming an integral part 01' the completed article of foot wear. In the completed boot, the toe seam 4 is firmly embedded in the sole of the boot, and as a result of the close fit of the lining on the last and the embedding of the scam in the sole, the lining presents a smooth, unbroken inside surface throughout, with no wrinkles or seams.

The type of lining shown in Fig. 2 is particularly adapted for the manufacture of rubber foot wear on a rigid last, as compared to a yieldable The boot is then completed by last; since the' relatively tighter single stitching of the lining is adapted to fit more closely to the last and does not possess the elasticity of one type of lining described in our aforesaid original application Serial No. 443,358 as being knitted on' a cylinder and dial machinef "In the manufacture of rubber footwear with a'rigid last, it

7 is customaryto exhaust the'air from .the inter- V rior of the last during the'vulcanizing operation, "which results in a difference of pressure between i the outside surface of the'built up rubber boot *absence of pronounced longitudinal ribs is extremely well suited for this mode of manufacture. From the foregoing, it is'apparent that by our invention there is provided an improved knitted I lining and a method of making the same, byithe practice of which it is possible to produce linings that are particularly'adapted foruse in con- 7 nection with the manufacture of rubber foot' wear on rigid lastsrj V Weclaim;

1. A one-piece fabric lining for formed rubber articles of foot wear. knitted-in tubular form to-' assume 'a shape closely approximating the shape of the last on which the article is formed, said lining comprising a toe portion having stitches of uniform length for a predetermined number of courses, alcurved instep and heel portion have v a ing separate groups of stitches in eachecour'se thereof of different lengths for apredetermined 7 number of successive courses, one group of stitches corresponding in'length to the stitches "of said toe portion" and the other g oup of stitches.

being longer and disposed'onthe side ,of'the linf ing having a' greater radius, and aleg portion 5. having stitchesinl all of its courses of a uniform length greater thanthe length of the stitches or" said to'e p'drtionf" 1 V 1 -2.,A :on'epiecef fabric lining for formed rubber articles of foot wear knitted in tubular formto assume- -a shape closely approximating the shape,

of the last on which the article is formed, said lining; comprising a toe portion having stitches of uniform length for alpredetermined number I of coursestof a given size of yarn, a curvedinstep and l heel portion having separate groups of r stitches in each course thereof of different lengths, and of difierent'yarn sizes; for a predetermined number ofj successive courses, one group of stitches'corresponding. in length to the. stitches of said toe portion and the other group of stitches beinglonger and disposed on the side of the lining having a greater radius, and a 'leg portion having stitches in all of its courses of a uniform length greater than the length of the stitches of I said toe portion and of a'yarn size greater than" theyarn of said toe portion. V i r V I V 1 l ROGER M. HOLDEN. JOHN F. "ROBERTS. 

